for a time, a long time—

the time it took to watch someone i love

die

and the time it took to fold a prayer into seventy times seven unforgiving squares

slipping it into the back pocket of my life, i thought that

hope

was a soft thing, a thing

that i had to keep tucked away

talked about in hushed tones

reverent, and mindful of its fragility

its eye on things unseen

but now i know this

that all along it was a brick

hard angles, ugly

and heavy in my hands,

a weapon, and

how many doors, and windows, and lies have i smashed with it

to find my way out

to the light.

— hope is a weapon

© Liezel Graham 2020.

Image by Julia Joppien

Unsplash